It's Your Choice
by Darke Eco Freak
Summary: A series of one shots based on various reader picked songs. The first is more of a companion fic to Don't Know What You Got so read if you want to see it from Leaguer Flash's pov.
1. Tomorrow: SR 71

**DEF:**** Wrote this to Tomorrow: SR 71, somewhat of a drabble while I was waiting for my friend to call  
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_Vita: We don't own the song, the characters mentioned or scenery used.  
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><p>He knew what was going to happen, of course he did, either he died or he lived, simple as that so was it any wonder he was scared? In the world of the Justice Lords, tomorrow was the day he died, so strange to think on he knew when it was, call it a sixth sense or speedster's intuition, whatever tickled your peach.<p>

He wrapped his arms around himself in a tight hug, he was in Egypt standing atop the sphinx, the cold desert air was comforting, it helped him calm down. His body ran higher than a regular human's because of the rate of enzyme activity, if they reacted they the rate they did in say Bruce, he'd be dead before he hit the ground. Still, it wasn't the cold that had him trembling, he knew what he would have to do tomorrow and he didn't like it, not one bit.

According to his experience with the Lords' Bat, he would either have to roll over and die or he would have to push himself beyond his limits. The limits he had set for himself for a reason, he might add. He couldn't let Luthor take over, that would mean the end of everything, no one would be able to stop him if Flash didn't break his one rule. On the other hand, he could cause just as much damage as Luthor, possibly worse, there was no telling what he could do if he tapped into the Speed Force.

He shivered again, he would never tell his teammates about it, never. He couldn't let them know about it, they would treat him like a freak, and he was. The Speed Force was raw power, if he broke into it tomorrow, he could cause the dimensions to fall in on each other, he could disrupt time, he could kill everyone who had ever lived, who ever would live.

The truth was, he wasn't afraid of tomorrow, he was afraid of himself, what he could do and what would happen if he didn't. What do you do when the unstoppable force meets the immoveable object? You run for cover and hope to God you survive.

Faster, always, that was what his life was bout, speed and his need for it, it was like his drug, he was addicted. If he caught a whiff of something more, something stronger, there'd be no escape, no turning back, he would become a monster.

There was also the fact that no one who had gotten sucked into the Speed Force had ever found their way back out, it was too alluring, singing its siren song for all eternity. Uncle Barry was there, he knew that now, it wouldn't be so bad to run with him again in a place where they were both equals, it would be a pleasanter death than he could imagine.

He sighed long through his nose, that was one of the cons of being a hero, you never knew how or when you would die, it could be quick and painless or it could be long and torturous. Or you could become handicapped, loose your limbs, in some cases, your mind. He could avoid all the uncertainty oh so easily, defeat Luthor and escape into forever, leave all earthly worries behind.

But then what would happen to his teammates? What would happen to Bruce? He shuddered violently, he didn't want him to turn into the Lords' Batman, so sad, so alone. He had made fun of the whole ordeal but those eyes, the guilt in them, they still haunted him even years later. The Lords were a complication, he couldn't die and leave the League like that but then again, the Lords had been smaller.

The Lords had consisted of only the Original Seven, the League had so many more, if ever the remaining six showed signs of turning, the other Leaguers would take care of it. Problem solved, leave it to other people, simple easy and cowardly.

He scowled at the thought, Rudy had called him a coward, never able to stand up for himself, never able to fight back but Rudy was wrong, he _chose_ not to fight, not to avoid the beatings. Not even when Rudy had broken five of his ribs and put him in a coma for a week did he feel the need to get revenge. Bruce called him stupidly optimistic, he didn't want to see the bad in people, well maybe that was it, maybe it was stupid. Stupid no to defend yourself against you abusive drunk of a father, stupid, yes, but then again bravery was just stupidity with a flash out come.

Think about it, seven people, well three aliens, an immortal warrior princess, an ex Marine with a tricked out ring, a cocky speedster and a billionaire with an obsession with bats and vigilante work had saved the planet more times than anyone could count. Added bonus, they had saved other planets in other galaxies _and_ the same planet only in different dimensions. All of it was stupid, yet because it had worked, people called them brave, dubbed them _heroes_.

Sure others could call him brave, dedicate museums in his honour but when it all came down to it, what he thought of himself was more important than what billions of others said. So he knew he couldn't carry through with just meekly slipping away into the Speed Force, he would fight it and hope that his friends came through for him. That they manages to somehow save him.

Because the truth was everybody loved to be in on the pressure but only those who actually faced the danger, put their lives on the line knew what it was like. The audience was their for the thrill but they would always be waiting for that one spectacular blow out, the finale when they crashed to their deaths.

He wasn't afraid of tomorrow, not anymore but he was still afraid of himself, he only wished his friends were strong enough for themselves and for him. The desert winds were never cold to him, yet he felt the need to wrap his arms tightly around himself.

Heroes didn't get scared, to hell with that, sometimes heroes were the ones most afraid, and God _knew_ he was scared out of his mind, but they worked through their fear and somehow managed to save the day. Please let his father be wrong, he wasn't a coward, he wasn't! He was a hero god damnit! And he would get through tomorrow even if it killed him.

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><p><strong>DEF: School is actually kinda nice right now so I'll update when I can. Any song, any character, whatever you the reviewers want.<br>**

_Vita: Read it check, review it, better be a check soon.  
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	2. Shattered:Trading Tomorrow

**DEF:**** Okay so the Barry/Wally reminiscing is in production, this was inspired by Shattered:Trading Yesterday.  
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_Vita: No Flasher isn't going crazy, if you read Don't Know What You Got, you could call this a companion piece. We don't own the song or the characters mentioned but Robi made a BatFlash pillow.  
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><p>The Thanagarian attack hadn't left him as raw as this, back then when he'd believed his sister, Shayera, betrayed him, betrayed them all. It hadn't been as bad because he knew the others felt the same way, worse in some cases, he knew wasn't alone but this time was different. He flexed his hand slowly, watching intently as the red spandex stretched and contracted at a normal human pace, the Speed Force, it was scary.<p>

It had called out to him, calling him home, it had struck chord in his heart, it was so familiar and yet so unknown, it was purely terrifying right? The speed force, he'd been running as fast as he could, brushing the raw power, so close and in that moment, he hadn't cared about his own life. Yesterday he had almost died, no he knew that yesterday a part of him had died.

He couldn't let Luthor win, there'd be no mercy, his friends would all die, Bruce would die, he couldn't let Bruce die. He let out a lengthy sigh, one leg dangled over the edge of the cliff, he didn't even know where he was exactly, somewhere in Gotham probably. As inane as it sounded, he always felt safest in Gotham, the madhouse of the superhero world, protected by the darkest of heroes. Yet because it was protected by that hero, he felt safe, he knew Bruce would never let someone get hurt in his City if he could help it.

The pale crescent moon began its slow descent into the calm ink black waters, purity getting swallowed up by the corruption of the world. Everything, every man, woman and child was like the moon, there was no way to stop the taint from touching them, evil was everywhere. Was this what the Justice Lords had realised after their Flash died?

Did they finally see how pointless all those battles were? For every criminal put in jail, there'd be two more waiting to take their place, for every plot thwarted, there was another, more diabolical, more evil, more likely to succeed than the last.

"It's all so pointless!" he yelled, and his words echoed hollowly, everything he'd done, worthless gain! What would happen to those he cared about when he was gone? The evil would win, they would take over and one day there would be no more heroes.

Or maybe...it was **_him_** who was pointless. Yeah, that made sense, what great feat had he accomplished in his lifetime? Nothing that someone else couldn't have done better, they hadn't even needed him to beat Luthor, Superman would've shot him with his heat vision. Batman would have taken him out with some elaborately thought out plan, he wasn't needed, worthless was what he was.

He was even too much of a coward to admit to Bruce how much he loved him, ever since he was freakin' Kid Flash and running around with the Titans. Batman was everything he'd ever wanted to be, strong, smart, he was taken seriously, no one doubted the Batman. But wait, wasn't Barry his idol? All his life all he'd ever wanted was to be like Barry, he was so confident in himself, in his powers.

He let out a strangled cry as he buried fiery red locks in his hands, it was too much, who did he want to be? Batman or Flash? Who **_was _**Wally West? Had he died that day during the experiment gone oh so right or was he still there, little more than a spectre on the sidelines?

Had the Lords' Flash ever felt this way? Had he loved a man that he could never have or did he have the guts to tell him what he felt? Most definitely, the way their Bruce had looked at him, the barely suppressed longing behind those blank white lenses.

How had that Batman felt, left alone without the one he loved? To loose what you'd only just found and the rest of your life left in a compromise, 'you're dead, I'm sorry but I'll get rid of all the people who ever hurt you'. What kind of life, what kind of existence would that be, so hollow and alone, it would drive you insane. And now he understood that small nod shared by the Bats, the Lords' Bat knew and he was wishing their Bat luck to realise before it was too late.

Only, he was sure his Batman didn't share the same feelings, those two were so different, worse than night and day because at least those resembled each other in a twisted sort of way. The day held no meaning if there was no night and who would know the night without the day? They completed each other, so no the two Batmen were as different as, as, as a river and the ocean!

Rivers were so calm and beautiful, they were more than likely to be cold, he knew from experience, and they were unattainable like the dream you have just before waking. That one illusive dream, that one memory that skirted the edge of your consciousness, impossible to catch. They were pure, untouched by the black waves which they seemed to kiss along the coast line.

The ocean was forever churning, forever in constant chaos, fighting itself for control, the amount of contamination in it was horrifying. To think that it was connected to trickling brooks and hidden rivers was almost unimaginable, how could they all be bonded when they were so unlike each other? Where one washed away the filth, the other embraced it knowing to do anything else was pointless so why fight it?

The two Bats were connected in much the same way, they both had the same roots but when the taint touched one, he became stained for life. Could that happen to his Bruce? Could his death push him over the edge from river to ocean?

But then again, who was he to judge others, he didn't even know how to classify himself anymore he'd been willing to throw away his life to stay in the Speed Force but that was for his friends. He risked his life every damn day of the frickin' week, why should this be any different? Because he wanted to go back? Because he was so close to getting up and running right that second?

No, maybe it was because he knew that was how the Lords' Flash died, yesterday he had died, tomorrow Batman was bleeding, hurting because of him. What else was there now? What had happened to the Lords' Bat, how had he reacted after they left, after he'd seen the League's Flash?

The utter fear in his eyes when he thought that Wally was going to die right in front of his eyes **_again_**, it must have been horrible and yet, he had seemed content. When he had helped them in Arkam, it was almost as though he were trying to prove himself to someone, to prove he was still good. He had lost who he was but he'd found it because of them.

_'He's happy now, he finally got to be with the one he loved.'_

He frowned, where had that come from? Was it J'Onn messing around with his head, no the Martian didn't do that so then what? He knew it wasn't his own thought but whose else could it be and besides it hadn't felt like a new thought, it was almost as though he'd already known it and was just remembering.

_'They're both happy, they're together and now it's your turn.'_

Oh great, first there's the Speed Force trying to reclaim him and now he's remembering things he never even thought about in the first place!

_'No, look down at the shoreline.'_

Well if he was really and truly crazy, he might as well listen to the delusions while they were somewhat sane, he dragged his gaze from the sea down to the beach down below. He furrowed his eyebrows and squinted, there wasn't anything but driftwood down there and black rocks washed up by the ocean. Then there was something down there, people, two people, one dressed all in red and the other in black and gray with metallic embellishments.

The two were standing shoulder to shoulder, the one in red, the smaller one, almost tucked away behind the taller's gray cape. They were too far away to make out exactly who they were but he already knew who they were, the Lords' Batman and Flash, together, here.

His counter part waved up at him enthusiastically so that his arm was little more than a blur, he lifted his hand in response still a little shell shocked, how? The Lord Batman stared straight at him, it wasn't a glare, it was more like he was trying to tell him something very important, not very un like Bats.

"How are you guys here?" he called his voice not echoing like it had done a while ago, strange, maybe the breeze had disrupted the vibrations or something.

The Lords' Flash shook his head pointing to the ocean, then to his Batman and shaking his head again for an answer, nice now the ghosts were in his head. The other Flash was trying to say that his Batman wasn't like the ocean, or at least not anymore.

"Flash is dead, how are you with Batman?" he tried, well duh Wally, their Batman had probably died that's how and this was the part where the ghosts got pissed at him. But they didn't, the other Flash smiled ruefully and waved again, turning to his Batman and whispering something.

He contemplated just running down there and finding out what the hell was going on but didn't get the chance, the other Batman was glaring at him. He gulped out of reflex before remembering this wasn't his Bats, he couldn't punish him for anything but still the glare was just as effective from the Lords' Bat.

_'You will tell him.'_

"No I will not," he replied but they were gone leaving his own voice echoing back to him, okay, creepy, he ran down to the beach intent on finding out where they'd gone. Flash was dead and apparently Batman was dead too, maybe when they died in their own dimension, they got sucked into the League's.

Careful not to disturb the sand, he walked over to where they had been but no footprints, the sand was semi wet which made for a good base, there should be footprints. He tracked up and down the entire beach, nothing, only his own pair of footprints, okay they were dead over here as well, why had they come to see him?

He huffed and sat down heavily on the sand, the moon had dropped considerably, it was now touching the navy blue waves, hours had past talking-arguing with the dead. What should he do? Should he listen to the Lords' Batman or not, they were one in the same but how could he know for sure? Well duh idiot, no one knows for sure, look at how they ended up.

The other Flash never got up the guts to tell his Batman before he died and the other Batman only realised he loved Flash after he was gone. Their Bat had shattered under the pressure, the realisation of exactly what he had lost was too much for him, he had died of a broken heart.

_'You don't know what you have until it's gone, don't wait until it's too late.'_

He got to his feet, clearly they weren't going to leave him alone until he told Bruce how he felt and so what if Bats was disgusted by the very idea, at least he'd feel better about it all. He ran back up the Cliffside, he had all the time in the world and none at all, who knew when the hand of fate would intervene. Still, he had enough time to glance back at the beach, enough time to see the two figures moving across the sand.

Enough time to see the happiness in their smiles, in the silent laughter, in the very way they moved with each other. If he could have just a fraction of that he'd die a happy man, a love that could conquer death itself.

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><p><strong>DEF: So yeah, this was a little on the angsty side, normal for me, and at least two guys from another school want to steal my pillow.<strong>

_Vita: The Ballad Of Barry Allen in the works expect it before the week is out. Review and state any song and character you want.  
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	3. Seems So Slow:Jim's Big Ego

**DEF:**** Inspired by The Ballad of Barry Allen by Jim's Big Ego, requested by hearts and handgrenades the first person to request anything.  
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_Vita: Ironically enough, she already had the first few paragraphs of this typed out because she loves this song but she wasn't gonna publish it XD. We don't own the song, the various Flashes, the Watch Tower or either Barry, Wally's or Jay's labs but we do own the east borough bridge of Metropolis because we made it up.  
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><p>'J'Onn to Flash, your assistance is required in Metropolis, the east borough bridge is collapsing and Superman is fighting Solomon Grundy,' J'Onn explained telepathically.<p>

'On it M.M,' he replied changing course so that he was headed to Metropolis instead of Japan, strange that J'Onn would call him out on something so simple, there had to be somebody else. Lots of somebodies, the Watch Tower was usually crammed full of hundreds of heroes, it didn't make sense to send out one of the seven.

He sighed as he entered American waters, he knew _why_ of course, they were worried about him, about the Speed Force and what he could do. But they were still his friends, which meant they were worried about the man behind the mask, scared that they could loose their Wally like the Lords had, they almost had.

J'Onn knew how much his brush with the Speed Force was affecting him and wanted to help get his mind off of it, he could get that, he would do the same in a heartbeat, faster. They were his family, they were really all he had left, mom was gone, Aunt Iris was dead and Uncle Barry was lost in the Speed Force.

Uncle Barry, ever since he'd seen his Uncle again, he couldn't help but spot the glaring differences between the both of them. He'd had less than a week's rest since the Luthor incident but when you're the Fastest Man Alive, you've got time to think about the vast multitude of variations. _What if?_

Those two infinitely small words, they didn't mean anything drastic on their own but put them together and they could drive a man insane, especially if he had the time to ponder them. What if Uncle Barry hadn't 'died', how would he have handled the Justice League? Would he be treated like a child as well or would people actually listen to what he had to say, take him seriously?

What if he had gotten hit by the anti-matter canon full on, would he have been able to survive, to escape? Or would he have been too slow and died?

Metropolis was a disaster zone, as usual, he really wondered how their economy stay afloat, all those supervillains attacking every other month. He'd seen one of the estimated totals for one of Supes' fight with Luthor, he didn't even think Bruce made that _much_ in a year.

The east borough bridge was missing a huge section out of the middle, already chunks as large as houses had fallen a hundred feet into the river below. He ran straight to the Metropolis side of the bridge where people were trying to get back to the city, okay, falling bridge or superhero supervillain fight, which'll kill me faster? Talk about a rock and a hard place. The people on the far side were safer since the point of impact had been closer to Metropolis, that meant the cracks were spreading through the Metropolis side.

He picked up three people at a time and ran them back to relatively safe ground, the whole thing was about to go but he still had about fifty more people left. He ramped up the speed to a bit lower than light and the world around him froze, he loved it.

Everything was so much simpler here, moving faster than the world around him, he didn't cause a breeze at this speed, no one could even see him, he was untouchable. He grabbed the last person, an old woman when he spotted another person, a girl falling off the bridge. He saw the fear in her eyes blossom over the course of five minutes, then her mouth open in a scream another five later.

She was just six feet away, it was nothing to grab her waist and walk with her back to safety, it was utterly fascinating to him. He was there before she even knew she was falling, he'd be gone before she sees him. She's still screaming, he can't hear her of course but he can see it in her too slow movements, it's nearly half an hour later before she realizes that she's safe. To her, the fall lasted all of ten seconds and it took thirty seconds to regain her senses, she's tough and familiar too, lush black hair, black eyes.

He knows he's seen her before, somewhere, but where? To the rest of the world time flies by to him, it keeps on dragging on and on and on. The curse of a speedster, always out of step with the rest of the world, Barry faced it and Jay before him, they all dealt with it differently.

He knew Jay liked to flip through old picture albums of his father with his kids, Barry preferred to mix dozens of volatile chemicals together and work to stabilize them before they exploded. They had both gotten their powers later in their lives, at a point where they could handle it, when they knew how to pace themselves. He got them at too young an age, he didn't know a thing about control, he didn't know how to slow down which was why he suffered the most.

He was the fastest Flash, he didn't know how to deal with the curse, how to make himself slow down again. He was always running at top gear, he only ever slowed down enough to be with normal people was because he was good at tricking himself. Whatever he thought was his top he could reach, he was good at blocking the past out, living in the present was what he was all about.

Speaking of which, the Man of Steel had beaten Grundy, big shocker, and was helping with all the traumatized little peoples and the MPD were herding them to the city proper. He slipped away unnoticed, he was people person, ask anyone, he literally meant anyone, but today he wasn't up for interaction, he just wanted to walk.

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><p>"Ha ha! Yuh missed me yuh stupid monkey!" he taunted dodging through the bullets, he really hated bullets, they did so much damage for something so damn small. So many people died because of them, they caused so much pain, he hated them with a passion.<p>

The Ultrahumanite growled and punched in some password into a hand held device, a hover bike flew in through the back door, slowed down long enough for Humanite to hop on, then sped away. Plaster rained down on his head as he navigated his way back out through the route he knew, he made it out with six point three eight five two seconds to spare.

Humanite was three hundred yards away and still firing his damn gun, he grimaced, whatever the crazy ape had stolen, he wanted it bad. He kicked it into gear, he closed the distance fast but the chase lasted much longer than he would've liked, he had to keep turning around to save people. Humanite might have superior tech but the power would always run out at some point, he could go longer than any machine ever could.

The hover bike kicked out at the town square, they were somewhere in Europe by now, from China to Europe in less than five minutes, nice tech.

"Why don't you ever give up, you incessant fool!" Humanite yelled shooting at him from behind the town chapel, he dodged each and every one. He thought about what Humanite said though, giving up was something he'd considered more times than he wanted to admit, Humanite stirred unwanted feelings in the speedster; guilt, anger, shame that's what those words brought up.

He felt guilty that he could ever have thought about giving up the Flash mantel, Barry never would've done it, Barry knew how many people put their lives in his hands. Even if he had never become Flash, Barry had always been helping people in the KeyStone PD, he wouldn't, couldn't quit. Barry was still fighting, he was fighting to get out of the Speed Force, back to the people who needed him.

That always led the second emotion anger, what would happen to Wally if Barry ever **_did_** manage to get back? He wouldn't go back to being Kid Flash, he was a hero not a sidekick, people looked up to him too, they needed him too. Barry had given up the mantel, he couldn't be Flash again, Wally wouldn't let him be Flash again because he was better at it. He was among one of the world's greatest heroes, he was up there right next to Superman and Batman and Wonder Woman, Barry had never done that.

Wally had saved the world from alien attacks, from superpowered clones, power hungry gorillas, multi-billionaire geniuses with a weird obsession with Superman and had single handedly taken down the worst villain in the history of the League. Barry had never come _close_ to what he'd done, he was the better Flash, let Barry be Kid Flash.

And then the shame washed over him like a tsunami, what in God's name had possessed him to think like that? Barry was the real Flash, when he first decided to put on the suit, he had made himself a promise, _'If Uncle Barry ever comes back, he'll take over being Flash again.'_

He had absolutely refused to give up hope, not once had he ever believed that Barry was dead simply because he'd gotten hit by the anti-matter canon too and **_he'd_** survived. So why not Barry who was so much better than Wally at everything?

How long ago had it been now? He couldn't tell, according to the calendars it was only six years now, but it felt so much longer, centuries, millennia an eternity since he'd seen his Uncle, talked to him, hugged him. Six years was so long and he was only twenty-three, in his mind he would live out several billion lifespans and with each one, he would start to forget.

He had already forgotten life before becoming a speedster and he was okay with that, he remembered vague flashes of memory and they were more than enough. He remembered the sour smell of alcohol on his father's breath, the angry red welts that covered his body, the tears in his mother's eyes every time she had to take him to the hospital.

His life as a child hadn't been the best but at least he had moved on, he had found strength in the image of Flash and later on, his Uncle. Those two people alone had managed to save him from a lifetime full of hatred and pain, he could never repay that debt.

"Because then you'd get away and what kind of Hero would I be if I let that happen?" he mocked snatching the gun away from Humanite's hands so fast he left a second degree burn.

He glared at the useless pieces of twisted metal that lay in his palms now, he really hated guns, they caused so much pain and he hated reminders of his past even more. There was another difference between Barry and Wally.

Barry refused to give up anything, his garage had been so full of junk that no one could get in, Iris used to be so mad, probably because Barry didn't even know what some of the stuff did. He didn't care, every time she threw something out, he would find two more things to take its place and on top of that, find the original and return it to its rightful place. It was another way he dealt with his powers, he kept mementos of every important thing in his life, or at least what he deemed important.

_'Even if you forget about it, when you find the souvenir, you'll remember something, anything. And that's all I want Walls, I don't want to forget anything, even if that thing is that Cap. Cold goes commando.'_

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><p>"What are you doing up here? Your shift ended more than half an hour ago," Diana remarked resting a hand on her hip. He cursed in his head, he hadn't counted on Diana being this high up on the Watch Tower, frankly the only one he expected to run into here was Supes, no one else ever used the level twenty five training room.<p>

"I completely forgot the paperwork for one of the cases I'm working on," he lied ducking past the Amazonian princess and flying past her before she could ask any more questions. He didn't want anyone knowing about his late night training sessions, well relatively since the Tower circled the earth more times than he cared, technically it could be anytime. The Luthiac Case as he labeled it, had been ten and a half days ago and the rest of the team were still paranoid about it.

He himself could care less, he'd known the consequences going in and he had been fully prepared to die, the Bat had rubbed off on them. The training rooms only went to twenty, the one he'd just used was only accessible by the Original Seven, it was the one Supes used. Occasionally Wondy or J'Onn would use it to test themselves, maybe GL and Shy but he never did, until ten and a half days ago.

He was a sensitive person, what people thought about him really affected his fragile self esteem, sure he put on a don't care attitude but he cared more than anyone knew. His teammates doubting him had led to him doubting himself and thus numerous trips to Supes' training room.

The room was programmed to simulate everything from underwater to outer space to Akropolis and designed to test superspeed, strength and everything else that was expected of the man of steel. He wasn't supposed to go near the thing really, he was the most human out of the Seven other than Bruce, the force exerted by the robots in those simulations could kill him all too easily.

But being Wally, he used it after the Luthiac thing to test himself, to make sure that he could still control his speed and that he would never be able to hurt his friends. He sighed as he slowed to a walk just outside his room on the high tech tin can, he rarely ever stayed in it but sometimes he needed to get away from all the craziness of Central. Don't get him wrong, he loved his powers, he'd done a lot of dangerous and stupid things to get them and was just lucky he was alive.

Jay and Uncle Barry had gotten their powers by accident, Jay from falling asleep in a lab and Barry from being drenched in supercharged chemicals, both cases turned out relatively fine. Wally, however, had _caused _his powers.

Growing up with a man like Rudy West wasn't easy and he had needed something to cling to, pto prvoe that life really was worth it so he'd chosen Flash. Both his parents, Rudy as well as Mary, had shown their disgust over his pathetic obsession, 'Get your head out of the clouds boy, d'you think you'll get superpowers one day? Stop dreaming about the impossible'.

Well he'd proved them wrong, he'd met the Flash and found Barry's notes on the chemicals and conditions necessary to replicate the scenario. He'd gotten it perfect that night and the only thing missing had been the lightening but as luck, or maybe something more, would have it, his little lab was struck by lightening just as Barry's had been. It had been painful, the most painful thing he'd ever experienced to this day but when he woke up in a puddle of chemicals, he was vibrating so fast he was halfway through the floor.

He'd always loved his powers, valued them more than anything else but Barry didn't, the older speedster had told him that sometimes he wished he'd never gone into his lab that night. He said that having the weight of so many lives was not something he'd bestow upon anyone much less his ten year old nephew.

He'd always been so sorry that Wally'd found his old notes, that now this little kid had to live his life in slow motion. While time rushed on for the world around him, it seemed so slow to him. A life where you constantly had to remember not to go too fast, to control yourself and yet still going too fast for those around you, too fast to love and be loved in return.

The one difference that would forever separate them though, was the simple fact that Wally had chosen this. He had chosen to escape time and live in a twilight zone where the world around him moved in slow motion, it was the only way he could ever get away.

He was _afraid, _he was afraid of putting down roots, of getting too attached and then watching everything he'd worked so hard to build fall to pieces around him. He preferred to keep love to himself, to watch as everyone he cared about tried to play catch up while he did his utmost to run. He had always been a runner and now there wasn't a person in the multiverse who ever had a prayer of catching him.

So he would run, run until the hurt died, until loved died because he had chosen to live a life where time dragged on, where everything seemed so slow. He wasn't Barry Allen no matter how much he wished he could be. He was Wally West, the third Flash, the only intentional Flash and the only one who liked time dragging on.

* * *

><p><strong>DEF: The request was to write BarryWally but Jay just slipped in every so often, props to the first Flash!**

_Vita: The first request is done, review and tell us what's next.  
><em>


	4. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams:Greenday

**DEF:**** Second request from AidenSurvival, one of my best reviewers by the way. He requested Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Greenday with various JL members. Because I'm weird like that, I took it to mean the original seven.  
><strong>

_Vita: So Robs doesn't own the song or any of the people mentioned but in her head she owns Flasher and Batimanzel (Trini word for dragonfly). She also owns the music box, **their **song and that weird poster.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Gotham was cold on most nights but during winter it dropped off the scale, thank whatever God out there for thermal clothing. He pulled the sweeping black cape closer to his body as he surveyed the lonely roads beneath him, Christmas was the worse time of the year for Gotham's vigilante. So many people were working overtime to afford a spectacular Christmas dinner, expensive toys and gifts for the kids, muggings were up an entire twenty percent.<p>

Around this was when various super villains decided to pull one last blow out crime before the end of the year, he didn't understand why they didn't just wait til the confusion of New Year's but to each his own he supposed. He shot off a grappling hook and swung off to the next building, today was December 16th, two more days and all this would be over, he'd be free to hide away in the cave until next year.

He didn't celebrate Christmas, he never had, even before his parents' death, all the waste seemed so idiotic to him and for what? Family?

No, family wasn't it, if it really was about the ones you loved, you'd cherish them every single day instead of one day out of three hundred and sixty five. When he'd adopted Dick, he'd made a concession and at least tried to celebrate for Dick's sake but that had ended horribly when the Christmas goose got impaled by the steak knife and a Batarang nearly took off Alfred's head.

Maybe it was a failure because he didn't know _how_ to celebrate. He never had all his experience came from television and its grossly exaggerated Christmas meanings, the joy and happiness and all that shit. He got points for trying though, it wasn't every day an eight year old had to help his butler calm down after the Christmas dinner caught on flames without _really_ catching on flames.

He shook his head tiredly, it was little after four in the morning and nothing had happened all night, he was just following random cars and people as they scurried home. He was currently half crouched, half standing on the roof of the tallest building in Gotham, Wayne Enterprises, his father's greatest achievement, his daily torture.

Of course he put on a good show for public eyes, he was Bruce Wayne, player extraordinaire, billionaire, Gotham's golden boy but it was all a mask he used and got rid of as soon as he could. The real Bruce Wayne was Gotham's Dark Knight, the vigilante wanted by half the city's police force, the nightmare that haunted the residents of Arkam.

Below him lay his father's life work, all his hopes and dreams, and on that stood the broken soul that had once been his only son. _'See what I've become?' _he questioned silently wondering if it was even possible for his father to have heard him, the chances were disturbingly high.

While the city slept on in relative safety, the Bat soared through the skies, a symbol of hope to all broken dreams whether he intended to be or not. Because, while he believed he'd broken his father's dreams, he'd really given those dreams life and breath and inspired so many more.

He had the League now, he wasn't alone anymore but it sure as hell felt like it. He leapt off the top of the building enjoying the feel of the bitingly cold night air before shooting off another grappling hook. Gotham's Dark Knight took off down empty streets, the only person awake, down streets he didn't know but that was okay, he was used to it. He'd been walking down a terrifying, unfamiliar road for years now and still didn't know where he was going.

Maybe he never would.

* * *

><p>Christmas was in the air in Metropolis, Clark Kent had lived there long enough to know how that went, lots of people in the streets, even more in the stores and crime. Metropolis <em>was<em> protected by Superman though so it wasn't as high as one might think, twenty, twenty five percent tops, okay maybe thirty but not a digit more, he swore!

Bruce had it easy in Gotham, most of the regular baddies were scared stiff of 'im but still, that didn't mean they stopped trying, if that was the case, Gotham would be the safest place in the galaxy. His villains, unlike Bruce, usually waited til New Year's for their blow out crime and he was okay with that, Christmas was for family.

He breathed in the twilit air deeply, Perry'd given Clark a two week vacation which meant Superman was free for the rest of the year this being December 17th and all. Below him the City lay covered in a light blanket of snow, above the stars had just begun to peak out, it was a peaceful sight, most nights he didn't get to appreciate it. Most nights he'd either be fighting some random villain or on a diplomatic mission to the galaxy next door, there was always something.

Most nights he was too preoccupied to think about his future but not today, today he was free for a few hours while the skies around him darkened and the City wound down from the day's activity. So high above the rest of the world it was easy to forget what he was, all that existed up here were the clouds, too low for planes, too high for birds.

But he wasn't the type of person who could just forget about the world, he was a superhero for crying out loud, it was his**_ job_** to care about people, like a doctor or a therapist. No, he couldn't forget about the rest of the world but someone else could, someone else could easily push aside the fact in a decade or three all the people they loved would be dead.

According to Bruce, his cells aged slower than a human's, even if Wally lived to be a hundred and three, Clark would still outlive him by more than a century, it was depressing. The only one he could count on was probably Dianna but would she stay in the world of man if the one's she'd come to love weren't there anymore?

He could imagine it, three centuries into the future, everything would have changed, ma and pa Kent would've died long ago, all of the Original Seven would be gone, so many new faces to get used to. The world would be a vastly different place, someone might even figure out a way to mimic the effects of Kryptonite and kill him. Or worse, the Earth's sun could grow old as Krypton's had and give off red sunlight destroying all his powers, what would happen in that scenario?

Suppose he was three hundred and four when that happened, he would look old, maybe late fifties, early sixties, would time speed back up for him or would it let him live out his natural life? What about the Justice League? Would anything remain of it, of all their accomplishments?

Time was a disease, eating away at man's mind, constantly changing his world, there was no telling what would happen, all he knew was that he would be there to see it. Alone at the end with no family, no friends, the only thing left would be faded memories and a mocking shadow.

_'Do you see me? I'm the only thing that's left, soon I'll be all that's left when you're gone too.'_

He shook his head angrily, he shouldn't be so presumptive, there was no guarantee that he would live longer than any of his comrades. His worst enemy knew his weakness, it was just a step below knowing his secret identity, he could very well he be killed before Bruce.

Bruce had had his sure of bad luck, okay maybe more than his fair share, more like the entirety of Gotham's share for seven years worth. He'd lost his parents at eight, an age where he would remember them but then instead of becoming an insanely spoiled brat, he used that need for revenge for something good. He became the Batman, Gotham's Dark Knight, the one superhero on a city's most wanted list, the only hero who was willing to risk everything to win.

What was he willing to risk? Could he kill to win? No he couldn't wouldn't, the people of this world had chosen him as its protector, he couldn't turn on them like the Lords had. He would fight for them until he was old and or until the day one of his many enemies killed him but until that day he would soar so high above the rest crippled of the world.

A world that was his and at the same time not, he would stand apart from them always, would walk the road that he was meant to walk, alone.

* * *

><p>Earth, the relatively small planet never ceased to amaze him, it was so full of life and joy and sorrow in equal measures it was all so fascinating. The alien put a hand to the cool pane of glass that looked out over the green world, so close and still so far.<p>

Human emotions rivaled those of the Martians, they were so passionate about everything they did much like his own people had been but they could only focus on one thing at a time. Martians were creatures more allied with logic, in the war, A'alek had lead them on many missions with little success maybe because of this logic. He would attack the areas most likely to fall and leave the more important ones alone, like the city's and capitals of Mars, Rexoria and Voldre, the twin cities of the planet, paid dearly for it.

A'alek had calculated the murder counts, less soldiers would be lost if they let the enemy attack their cities, women and children were murdered in cold blood by the enemy all because of logic. Here the emphasis on the individual was almost idiotic, no it _was_ idiotic, even this world's greatest heroes weren't exempt from this, this trait.

Superman had his Lois, Batman had Robin and Nightwing, Shayera had John and vise versa, Diana had her family on Themyscira and Wally, well he had the entirety of Central City and all who lived in it.

It was surprisingly hard for him to wrap his mind around it, it was so uncommon in Mars to put one single person above all else in life. Of course he had loved his beautiful wife and his children and he mourned them but he would not have risked Mars for them alone, not if he had a chance.

These humans, this League, they would happily let the world burn if that was the price of their loved one or at least he believed so, always a contradiction, they would put the world first and personal issues a close second. Diana would rather be banished from her precious homeland than let it fade away to little more than a memory.

Batman would let his adopted son turn away from him, away from Bruce Wayne so that he could be his own person, become Nightwing. Superman understood the faith these people held in him, he put their safety above his own life because that was the type of person he was. If Lois were to loose interest in him, she were to blame him for almost loosing her life infinite times, he would agree with her wholeheartedly. If she chose to leave him for another, he would be the first to wish her all the best with her new partner, it was so perplexing.

Shayera and John still loved each other deeply but chose to remain apart believing that was what was best for the other, actually he blamed that on stupidity not passion. Wally, by far Wally was the worst offender of the lot, the most bewildering, mystifying mind he had ever encountered in his many, many years.

Wally loved everyone he met, he wouldn't hesitate to render any assistance needed, even if it was required by his Rogues and didn't involve any illegal activities. If one day the City decided to rebel against him, not that it would ever happen, each and every person in Central City loved their scarlet speedster too much to ever form such a thought. However, if they did, he would willingly leave them be, if the entire planet decided he was too much of an annoyance, he would gladly give up being the Flash.

The confusing thing about the whole situation though was he'd been inside Wally's mind more than once and he knew all about Rudolph West's treatment of his son. He knew of all the trips to the hospital, of the many lies he'd told to protect his worthless drunk of a father and later the lies he'd told to hide his second life as Kid Flash. Anyone else would've come out of a childhood like that bitter and angry at the world, excuse the cliché, but it was true, they would've been darker, more like Bruce than Wally.

He was so bright and full of energy, it was inspiring, that he had begun to understand why humans formed such attachments to individuals. Sometimes, their were people who would touch your life, affect you on a soul deep level that only once they were gone could you fully appreciate the impact they had had on you.

His alternate self in the Lords' universe, he had gone along with his comrades after their Flash's death, was it because he had finally learnt what it meant to be human? Could it be that his alternate self had learnt how to put the individual above the group or was it more logic talking?

It would stand to reason, self preservation was a powerful instinct, not one that was easily beaten back and going against the rest of the League would have been suicide. It could be that the Lords' Manhunter had simply mourned the Flash because it was convenient and was the logical choice to make? The easiest way to protect their world was to take away free will and punish, sometimes kill, whoever got in their way.

He had studied the Lords closely, trying to learn about the other side of human emotions, what line needed to be broken for passion to turn into violence and he had understood to an extent. Shayera and Diana had blamed themselves for his death and had decided they couldn't live with themselves so they changed for the worse. John was angry at Luthor, Wally, everyone really and accepted it easily when Clark killed Luthor, he wasn't too hard to break.

Clark had hated Luthor for years, the Flash's death had ignited the dry tinder which soon blazed to a roaring fire of vengeance and anger. The one human whose actions mystified him, however, were Batman's, how could he allow his world to be taken over so easily without so much as a word of protest. It went completely against his nature to simply roll over and obey.

J'Onn sensed there was much more to the story with the Lords' Bat but he hadn't the chance to probe his mind at the time, now he regretted the choice. The Lords' Bat had seemed, depressed no more detached from the world, it was almost as though he was talking with someone only he could see, disturbing.

Humans had such strange coping mechanisms, they cared, they hated, they blamed, they denied all because they gave themselves up to their emotions. As a Martian, he could never learn to feel like them, he was…apart, alien, they could never fully accept him into their society, no matter what.

He could take their form, he could pretend that he was human but he would never be them no matter how much he tried. He stood alone before the thin line that separated him from this strange world and it was cold here. He shivered slightly, so very cold.

* * *

><p>Central City was blanketed in snow this time of year, it was peaceful more peaceful than Blue Valley had ever been, he hated his childhood home. Christmas was staring him smack in the face, it was already December 21st and he still had presents to buy and people to annoyvisit, he'd already stopped by Diana's.

The Amazon's tolerated him, he should be lucky, Di still didn't understand the tradition of gift giving but he didn't really care, he only cared that she like the novelty snow globe he got her. She'd laughed herself helpless when the lights came on and _'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' _started playing, the tiny Santa looking around suspiciously, hiding behind the chimney, while the husband left for work.

Clark had been the second person he hit, he'd left the book on his bed in Metropolis with a card not wanting to get caught and punished or anything worse. What he wouldn't give to see the look on Supes' face when he unwrapped the Superman gift paper and found a book on various sex positions. The big blue boy scout, oh God, just imagining it was hilarious.

GL and Shy had gotten their homes decked out in Christmas decorations, heavy on the mistletoe and notes inviting the other over for some eggnog on separate days. The Thanagarian attack had broken them up in the harshest way he could think of and he was playing matchmaker trying to get them back together, he only hoped they didn't booby trap his house when they got home.

He leaned back on his hands, smiling as more snow began to fall, the Central City park was deserted this time of night and it was nice. He was sitting on the kid's jungle gym tower that rose above the park giving him a bird's eye view of the entire thing, the moon darting in and out of clouds so high above.

Sitting here, it was almost as though time had no meaning, he could sit there for years and years and it would all stay the same, not a thing changing. He let out a small puff of air, watching as his breath misted and dissipated, gone so quickly, dead before it had a chance to live. Thinking like that was just plain stupid, time moved on, slowly, God so slowly, but surely and not even he could stop it. Sure he could alter it, reverse it, change it but never stop it, _no one_ had that power.

He still had to visit his Rogues, they were having a party on the 25th, he already had their presents for them, he smiled ruefully, no family other than the men who worked to kill him, how sad. He'd already given J'Onn his present, he'd worked hard on it and the Martian had seemed to like his glass replica of Rexoria and Voldre, Mars' proud twin cities.

He knew what it was like being alone on an alien planet only not in the literal sense, he was a speedster, no one would ever be able to keep up with him, ever. He was an outsider on his own freakin planet. And there was still Bruce's gift to consider.

He didn't even know where to start, what do you get one of the world's richest men? And there was also his mental meltdown on a cliff in Gotham to add to his list of worries, couldn't forget that no siree. The encounter, incident (whatever the hell you wanted to call it!) it had really freaked him out, I mean come on, he'd seen _himself_ with the man he loved! He thought he was entitled to a little fear and skepticism.

Their Bruce had told him to tell his Bruce but he hadn't gotten up the nerve which was just plain sad because he was a hero for God sakes, he was supposed to be brave. Then again it was the Batman he was talking about, what if Bruce found it disgusting or laughed at him or worse, he wouldn't put it past the Bat.

He groaned and put his head in his hands, how many times had he gone over this since it had happened, hell since he realized he liked the Bat? Okay, say Bruce didn't strangle him, there was no possible way the Bat felt the same way, Bruce was _straight_ for one, Gotham's most notorious playboy and all that shit. He was sure even the Bat didn't know he was bi, he hit on women so much that no one even thought he went both ways.

Sure he put on a good front but the real him was the one who hid between the lines, the League only saw what he wanted them to see, nothing more. Truth be told, Christmas was the worst time of year for him, next to his birthday which came much to quickly on x-mas' heels for his liking, January 16th for Pete's sake, didn't he deserve a reprieve of some sort?

His childhood had been less than great, okay it had been fucked up but he'd made everyone think it was great, that he had parents like Supes', ones who cared about him but they all couldn't be that lucky. He didn't blame anyone really, it was the past, he couldn't change it, well maybe he could but he didn't want to go down that road. The Speed Force was to be left alone, end of story.

He didn't mind all the hospital visits where the nurses would look at him with such pity and sometimes revulsion, he never did understand the latter. What was his weakness something revolting to them or was it simply him? He never did find out and he didn't really want to pry into the matter, like he said it was the past.

A past where doctor's had seen him so many times, each with a different excuse as to why he was there, _'I fell off the roof, I ran into a tree on my bike, No my dad does not hit me, what made you ask?' _

Each time it had gotten progressively worse to the point where Rudy nearly killed him and his dark secret bled out into the light. That had led to half a year fighting with the cops, arguing adamantly that no his father did not beat him why do you keep asking that?

He was fifteen when Mary finally worked up the nerve to divorce Rudy's sorry ass, by that time he was spending more time in Central than Blue Valley, Rudy got seven years in Blue Valley penitentiary. His mother had died a year back, Rudy still had three months left in jail, neither one had ever known their son was the Flash and they never would.

Sometimes it was better to be alone, who needed family like that anyway? Besides when you're a speedster, it's easy to leave the rest of the world in the dust. So long as he knew who he was and what he was doing, nothing and no one else mattered, except maybe Bruce.

"I hate Christmas," he muttered.

* * *

><p>Man had created such strange customs since Grecian times, why just yesterday Wally had stopped by the palace to give her a strange little snow globe. She had felt bad not having anything for him but he'd shrugged it off saying he didn't expect anything, he didn't blame her for knowing.<p>

Here in Themyscira nothing changed, time was frozen and eternal beauty ruled, her people would live forever while the rest of the world died. Before becoming a part of the League, she hadn't paid much thought to that aspect of the outside world, she had only wanted to leave and know what the world of man was like.

Now, however, she faced the too real reality that everyone she loved in the outside world would grown old and die someday while only she and Clark remained fighting the good fight. It was a depressing thought, how many more people would she grow to love only to have them for a few mortal years before they left for Tartarus?

In the end, she would be alone once more, she would have all of her memories of the beginning of the League while the people in those memories would be long gone. Bruce, John, Wally, they were regular humans, they would be gone, Shayera would live slightly longer but what good was that?

The two women would never again have the relationship, the camaraderie they had once had, Shayera would leave this world knowing many still mistrusted her. J'Onn would be alone for the rest of his too long life, his body structure so radically different, his mind set so infinitely apart from a human's that he could never find peace.

The only one she would have left would be Kal-El, or maybe not, maybe mother had been right in cutting Themyscira off from the world of man, she knew what it was to lose. Hippolyta, the Amazon Queen, she knew of times when Amazons had still taken men as partners, as their equals, back when the Gods ruled all.

In this age, the only Gods left were Corruption and Technology, someday soon maybe the world of man would advance so much so that they would finally be able to kill the old Gods once and for all. When that day came, Themyscira would fall, the proud Amazon race would fade away til it was little more than a have forgotten memory.

On that day, she would have to choose, Wonder Woman or Princess Diana, which would she give up, accept total annihilation or fight with the very people who had destroyed her once strong race. Even now she lay torn, after thousands of years of anonymity, Themyscira was known to the rest of the world, its location no longer a secret.

She had seen weapons of such mass destruction beyond its magical borders, beyond its blind protection; maybe the time of destruction was closer than they thought. One that once last day she would choose but not just yet, for now she would enjoy the present.

She would pretend she had all the time in the world, have fun with her Amazon sisters on Themyscira and when she got back to the world of man she would buy Wally something. Maybe a bauble like the one he had gotten her.

_'I saw Mommy__ kissing Santa Claus  
>Underneath the mistletoe last night'<em>

* * *

><p>Shayera couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face when she got back to her room after a particularly hard mission that had lasted days. She'd left on the 19th now it was the 23rd, tomorrow was Christmas Eve, none of the Original Seven would be here, good enough.<p>

She entered her pass code and nearly had a conniption. Every available inch of space had been covered in red, green, silver or gold.

She fingered a hanging silver spiral incredulously, there was only person it could be really, Wally, it was sweet of him, really it was and he'd done it so beautifully. Her bedspreads which had been plain white last she checked, were now a festive red and green print with white snowflakes falling across the bed. There was a huge poster of the Original Seven photo shopped in hers and Bruce's case, hung over her bed where they were all decked out as various Christmas icons or in Christmas dress.

Her wings were now white, she wore a sparkling silver dress and there was a shining halo over her head, Wally and his lame jokes, he was saying she was an angel. She laughed at Bruce's it was just so unrealistic, the Bat was wearing a bright red Santa hat with the Bat emblem, a long crimson coat with little bats, robins and yellow R's in black circles. It was absolutely priceless even if it was fake which it obviously was, there was no way in Hell the Bat would ever consent to wearing anything like that. The murderous glare just added to the reality of it though so it almost looked authentic.

Wally was in a icy blue peter pan outfit which contrasted spectacularly with his red hair and sparkling green eyes, no costume for Wally, oh no, he trusted her too much for that. She supposed he was trying for Jack Frost but the effect was thrown off by the clashing colours, still it was cute. Wally had his arm thrown around Bruce's shoulder, he was winking at the camera while Bruce adamantly refused to acknowledge it. It was almost like he was saying _'I was just glaring into space, a camera just happened to be there.'_

Bruce was being all serious and Wally didn't give a damn, they looked good together, balanced each other out. Okay, that was strange, they were just friends and barely even that, shaking her head she moved onto Clark and almost hit the dresser when she doubled over laughing.

He was decked out in the full Santa suit with the beard and sack and everything, he even had a reindeer, a real one no doubt, milling around his feet. Here was the world's greatest Superhero dressed up as a children's gift giver, he was the buffest Santa Claus she'd ever seen and that included all the men who dressed as him in the strip- never mind. Clark made a really good Santa, he just had that look, that undeniably good look that screamed 'Chrismas!'

John was sporting a pair of light up antlers, his arms crossed over a green wool sweater that had Rudolph the red nosed reindeer on the front of it. He had the annoyed expression that told the world Wally'd made him do this, this was not done of his own free will. Next to him stood Diana in a white dress with black buttons down the front, black knee high boots, black elbow length gloves and a top hat. She was a snow woman, how the Hell had Wally swung _that_?

This was the ultimate blackmail, she could use these pictures against each and every one of them, it gave her something to bargain with when they got on her case about something stupid. Maybe that's why Wally did it, he'd wanted her to be a part of their family again, the one they'd formed when it was just the seven of them. She got off the floor to sit on the bed, all of this was so much more than she'd expected of anyone, even Wally, she had gotten the impress that he hated Christmas, well not hate exactly more like dislike intensely.

She was alone now, she wasn't like J'Onn or Clark, their world's had been destroyed, their people murdered in cold blood, at least they hadn't chosen to be alone, she had. She had chosen Earth over Thanagar, she was an outcast, a blood traitor, any Thanagarian she met wouldn't hesitate to kill her on the spot. While the planet she had risked it all for, Earth, its people regarded her as a spy, she would never again be Hawk Girl, one of the Original Seven.

She was Shayera Hol, spy, double agent for their enemies, she was other and they made sure she knew it every single minute of the day. Things had started to calm down since her part in the Luthor/Brianiac incident but still many people viewed her with mistrust, hate, even fear, was she a creature to be feared?

Only if they were smart, did she pose a threat, hell yes, would she ever turn on them? Not a chance in High Heaven.

Sometimes she wished they could understand what it was like for her, take a second to think about all she'd give up for them, how many dreams. She had given up her happiness, her people, her life, for them. So many broken dreams lay scattered like rose petals that had blown away in the wind.

She sighed and lay back flush on the bed, her brows knitted together in confusion as the letter spun lazily above her head attached to green and black streamer.

_'Dear Shayera.'_

* * *

><p>Oa was the last place he'd wanted to spend his Christmas Eve but now he was back just in time to get in a few winks before he headed over to Central for the Christmas lunch he'd planned with Wally. He'd only done it because 1. He had no one else to spend it with and 2. Wally was a colossal pain in the ass, really that was all.<p>

He turned the key in the lock with a sigh, time to cut the bullshit once and for all, the truth was he had no one else to spend his time with, he'd broken up with Vixen and Shayera, well, that was better off left alone. He didn't have any family, all his old Marine buddies were out of the country or with their families and he didn't want to interrupt anything.

He nearly had a heart attack when the frenzy of colour registered with his mind, he wouldn't not if he wanted to live past twenty two. His entire apartment, decorated in Christmas colours, the kid was dead, worse than dead, he was freaking vaporized.

John didn't have anything against Christmas, the birth of Jesus and all that, he was a Christian after all, this was their biggest holiday but he just didn't celebrate, not after his mama's death. After that, all the appeal and magic went out of the holiday, there was nothing left for him to celebrate.

Usually on Christmas, he would sleep in til twelve then he would report for duty at the Watch Tower or Oa or whatever he could find to occupy his time these days. Today his apartment looked as though the decoration elves had come and thrown up all over the place, there were garlands hanging from every available surface, there were paper snow flakes hanging from the ceiling. There was even a Christmas tree for God's sake sitting in his living room, decorated in yellow and green, standing there looking oh so innocent.

Underneath the tree were two things, one a small square box wrapped in Green Lantern styled gift paper and the other was an envelope with a simply gold ribbon wrapped around it. He let out a world weary sigh as he sat on the floor, for so long he'd refused to celebrate well now Wally had forced him to at least acknowledge it.

He stared hard at the present in his hands, knowing the kid it was probably a gag gift of some sort, a can of snakes or box in this case, well only one way to find out. He carefully peeled off the tape and unfolded the paper leaving it only slightly creased, call him a control freak, but he liked to take his time with things. In his hands lay an ornate wooden box with carvings of trees and vines and half there animals, it reminded him of the jungle where he'd been deployed once.

The clasp was the green lantern emblem, the kid couldn't resist, he opened it and _that_ song started playing, that damn, sweet song. He wanted to smash the music box against the wall but he couldn't, not when it played _that_ song, _his_ song, _their_ song. Call him freakin' cliché but he'd picked out a song for them, himself and Shayera, he wasn't too sure she knew but he did and that was all that mattered.

Inside, twirling in the middle were two glass figurines, the man made of green crystal, the woman, more like an angel of not quite clear but with a hint of gray. Little lights on the bottom of the box threw slivers of colour across his face, they looked so perfect together, almost as though they'd been carved from one piece of glass.

How long he sat there staring like a fool while their song played, he didn't know, only that it was a while later when he finally noticed the piece of paper stuck to the lid. Carefully, he pried it off, the from was a drawing of a lightening bolt and the too was a green lantern.

_'How'd you like the music box? Pretty sweet huh? I carved the two people myself, I know, I'm multitalented. Heard you talking about how much you loved this song so ta-da! Also some stuff came up so our Christmas lunch is off, sorry.'_

He shook his head tolerantly, trust Wally to find out other people's most well kept secrets, he knew for a fact he'd never mentioned that he liked that song, out loud, to anyone. He folded the letter and placed it next to the gift paper, it was time to hit the hay, he held the music box in his hands and was heading for his room when he remembered the envelop.

He sat back down and with the music box in his lap, he lifted the envelop from its spot under the tree, it was pretty thin so he supposed it didn't hold much. There was no name except his, as he slit it open two pieces of paper fell out.

One was of him and Shayera in the snow celebrating her first Christmas Eve, he remembered it fondly, there'd been and epic snowball fight which he'd won naturally. The picture showed the both of them standing apart from each other, covered in snow and smiling like two kids.

He smiled ruefully when he remembered what it was like now, what they had lost, he shook his head, no point now. He snatched up the second piece of paper and read the few lines quickly before jerking up and heading to his room. The picture lay forgotten as the letter fluttered to the floor, its writing exposed for the world to see.

_'Merry Christmas John._

_Do you remember that day, playing in the snow with you was some of the most fun I've ever had. The bar fight after was **the **most fun though. I was wondering, if you had nothing better to do, if you'd care to join me at that same bar for another brawl._

_~Love Shayera~_

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><p><strong>DEF: Really sorry to Aiden for taking so damn long but my computer went all crazy and then school popped out of some hole. Yeah, no excuse is acceptable but I tried right!<br>**

_Vita: Readers submit your reviews! Tell us what you want cause like the title says, 'IT'S YOUR CHOICE'.  
><em>


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